alternative to kool stop pads?

enas · 24-06-2011 4:02pm #1

Hi all,

I am desperate with the screech of my front kool stop pads (my bike braking sounds like trains making emergency stops in those films, if you see what I mean). I've honestly tried it all. After reading various stuff on the web, I've convinced myself I should try another brand of pads. Do you have any recommendation of similarly performing pads? I just love the performance of kool stops, particularly in the wet (this is for my commuter) and it would be a shame to go backwards.

Alternatively, if you have any ideas on how to quieten things down, I'm open to suggestions, on the off chance I haven't already tried it... (The only thing I haven't tried that I should to convince myself I've really tried it all is to swap my front wheel for another one and see if the issue is still there.)

doozerie · 24-06-2011 4:16pm

SwissStop pads often get mentioned in the same breath as KoolStop pads. I have green SwissStop pads on two bikes and they work reasonably well - I do get a screech at one point on the rim out of the back brake on my road bike though and plan to clean the rim down with something like rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits at some point (and brake pads too) to tackle that. In your shoes I'd try the alcohol/spirits option first, before replacing the pads.

doozerie · 24-06-2011 4:17pm

Oh and I'm assuming you are talking about pads on a road bike here? If your bike is an MTB then toeing in the pads at the front may be all that you need.

ROK ON · 24-06-2011 4:35pm

Why can you not got Koolstop any longer?

I also have green Swisstop on one bike. Good breaking perf but not spongy like Koolstop salmon. For some very strange reason the green blocks are completely unworn after 1 year. Don't understand it.

enas · 24-06-2011 4:40pm

Thanks for your suggestion. I forgot to mention it's v brakes (on a flat bar "hybrid"). I don't think SwissStop do V brakes do they? Anyway, I'm still open to other suggestions, as those are a bit on the expensive side...

Regarding your suggestions, thanks. But when I said I've tried it all, it obviously includes properly toeing in at the first place (only a severe toe in tends to decrease screeching in light braking, initially), and also cleaning the rim and pads with methylated spirit/fine sandpaper/everything you want. I tried all the not so straightforward options too found here and there on the web, with no success. Apparently, there are quite some people who get this inexplainable/incurable screech with Kool Stops and no other pads. Also, if I switch front and back (all Kool Stops), the screech is still on the front. That leaves me with the impression that there's an incompatibility between the pads and the front wheel. I prefer to start checking this by changing the pads...

cdaly_ · 24-06-2011 4:50pm

ROK ON wrote: »

Why can you not got Koolstop any longer?

I also have green Swisstop on one bike. Good breaking perf but not spongy like Koolstop salmon. For some very strange reason the green blocks are completely unworn after 1 year. Don't understand it.

Have you checked your rims for wear lately?...

Murph100 · 24-06-2011 4:51pm

Which Koolstops are you using ?

chakattack · 24-06-2011 6:01pm

I've a set of salmon koolstops for shimano if anyone wants them cheap? Meant to order the campagnolo vrsion.

Great pads.

ROK ON · 24-06-2011 7:44pm

chakattack wrote: »

I've a set of salmon koolstops for shimano if anyone wants them cheap? Meant to order the campagnolo vrsion.

Great pads.

Ill take em.

doozerie · 24-06-2011 11:16pm

enas wrote: »

Thanks for your suggestion. I forgot to mention it's v brakes (on a flat bar "hybrid"). I don't think SwissStop do V brakes do they? Anyway, I'm still open to other suggestions, as those are a bit on the expensive side...

They do (well, replacement pads so you'll need compatible bodies/holders) but yes they are far from cheap. They make a rim cleaning abrasive too but at a certain point an abrasive is an abrasive so I don't imagine it will do any better a job than (good quality) sandpaper.

The only other thing I can think of trying is ensuring that the brake pads are hitting the rim at the same time, square to the rim, and in the same plane as each other (I aim for parallel with the ground, that works best for me), but you may well have already tried that.

enas · 08-08-2011 3:15pm

Just an update on this. I ended up upgrading to Green SwissStops. They did the trick. And they work fantastic. They can be found not so expensive on eBay (around €20 delivered, for two pairs). I find them much better than the Kool Stops altogether (felt too spongy to me, as another poster said above). Thanks for your suggestions.

BostonB · 11-08-2011 10:59am

Any suggestions on where to get Green SwissStops for an old MTB with Canti's and smooth posts.

enas what was the ebay shop you used?

doozerie · 11-08-2011 11:14am

From bike24.com plus delivery, or from Probikekit.com with delivery included.

Edit: Oh, and beware of the supplement to that Bike24 cost (only visible when you go to the "Please select" menu).

BostonB · 11-08-2011 11:39am

Much appreciated.

Zorba · 11-08-2011 1:14pm

The screeching in the brake pads could be bits of metal from your rim lodged in the brake pad itself.

I use the green swiss stops too and find every few weeks i have to dig out shards of metal with a small screw driver or else i get terrible screeches.

Murph100 · 11-08-2011 1:33pm

Thats the very reason I stopped using them, fecking rims were getting destroyed from all the crap that lodged in the green Swisstop. Constantly having to clean the pads.

I gave up in the end and started using Kool-Stop DUAL compound, much better breaking in both the wet & dry, spongy feeling gone and doesn't get crap lodged in the pads to wreck the rims. I dont think I've ever had to pick any bits out of the pads in over a year, it was everyday with the green Swisstops.

Zorba wrote: »

The screeching in the brake pads could be bits of metal from your rim lodged in the brake pad itself.

I use the green swiss stops too and find every few weeks i have to dig out shards of metal with a small screw driver or else i get terrible screeches.

enas · 11-08-2011 2:09pm

doozerie wrote: »

From bike24.com plus delivery, or from Probikekit.com with delivery included.

Edit: Oh, and beware of the supplement to that Bike24 cost (only visible when you go to the "Please select" menu).

Bike24 has the supplement, plus €10 delivery. ProbikeKit doesn't have the v-brake inserts alone. I used this eBay shop, which sells them for €19,90 plus €4 delivery for Ireland (and it was dispatched same day, received in Ireland 2 days later). This shop does the cantis too, though it seems that for those, ProbikeKit has a similar deal.

Murph100 wrote: »

Thats the very reason I stopped using them, fecking rims were getting destroyed from all the crap that lodged in the green Swisstop. Constantly having to clean the pads.

I gave up in the end and started using Kool-Stop DUAL compound, much better breaking in both the wet & dry, spongy feeling gone and doesn't get crap lodged in the pads to wreck the rims. I dont think I've ever had to pick any bits out of the pads in over a year, it was everyday with the green Swisstops.

You see, I had the exact opposite experience. I came to the conclusion that those two are mutually exclusive. You'll always be (very) happy with one of the two, never with both.

Murph100 · 11-08-2011 2:57pm

Were you using the dual compound or the all salmon compound pads ?

enas wrote: »

You see, I had the exact opposite experience. I came to the conclusion that those two are mutually exclusive. You'll always be (very) happy with one of the two, never with both.

feck sake lads · 11-08-2011 4:35pm

you need to toe in your pads and let some rubber build up on the rims.
i keep my bikes sparkling

:D and the noise from my canti brakes on my toured is feckin class frighten the crap out of anyone

:D.
be not embarrassed my friend its all part of cycling.;)

enas · 11-08-2011 4:36pm

Murph100 wrote: »

Were you using the dual compound or the all salmon compound pads ?

It was the dual compound. Didn't try the all salmon ones.

Zorba · 11-08-2011 5:34pm

Murph100 wrote: »

Thats the very reason I stopped using them, fecking rims were getting destroyed from all the crap that lodged in the green Swisstop. Constantly having to clean the pads.

I gave up in the end and started using Kool-Stop DUAL compound, much better breaking in both the wet & dry, spongy feeling gone and doesn't get crap lodged in the pads to wreck the rims. I dont think I've ever had to pick any bits out of the pads in over a year, it was everyday with the green Swisstops.

Will check out them Kool-Stop pads next time, that's one thing i've found with the swiss stops they're not great in the wet, great in the dry though.

Just had a quick check on wiggle and they're nearly half the price of Swiss stops :eek: Will definitely order a set and see what they're like.

enas · 11-08-2011 11:18pm

Zorba wrote: »

Just had a quick check on wiggle and they're nearly half the price of Swiss stops :eek: Will definitely order a set and see what they're like.

Keep in mind that SwissStop sells two pairs of inserts per pack. For me, they come at roughly the same price per pair.

Dr_Colossus · 12-08-2011 9:10am

I bought a set of Swisstop Flash Pro Green pads during the week from Wiggle
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/swissstop-flash-pro-green-high-performance-pads/

Their advertised price of €29.48 was noticeably higher than PBK's price of €25.63 but PBK were out of stock with no ETA as to when they'd have them restocked.
Wiggle however price matched the Swisstop brake pads to Planet-X price of €23.48 which was cheaper again
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/BSSWFLPRO/swissstop-flash-pro-brake-pads

alternative to kool stop pads?

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